Thursday's letters to the editor

Do you ever feel we are living in a "Twilight Zone" episode? Does anyone else out there not see, post-9/ 11, what is so obvious? Radical Islam is taking over the world. Terrorist dictators have been replaced by terrorist states. The Arab Spring is giving rise to the Western Fall. Diplomacy has failed. Appeasement is seen as weakness. Apologies are met with derision and disdain. Radical Islam is taking over and not taking prisoners.

When will we act, when we see the mushroom cloud blowing our way? Will we truly go silently into the night? Western culture is on the brink of extinction, and all we do is wait in line for the next iPhone. Islam "Is-slam-ming" us.

Our president needs to lead, not make speeches. He needs to meet our enemies with strength and determination, not apologies and certainly not accolades for limiting the terror. He needs to support our one true ally in the sea of darkness that has become the Middle East: Israel. Having their back is not turning his back. He must do so quickly before the "red line" that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke of becomes the "flat line" that defines the heart of the West.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, as keynote speaker of the Republican National Convention, declared "war" on teachers unions, stating that he supports teachers but not if they organize. They may have rights, but he doesn't want to recognize them.

Scapegoats have always been immigrants, Jews, Italians, the Irish, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Japanese, anyone who was different, including gays and women. I hope this latest attack mobilizes teachers to work extra hard to get our president re-elected.

Pam Grossman, professor of education at Stanford University, said, "Let's talk more about supporting teachers to help them stay in the profession and improve their craft. You can't put children first if you put teachers last."

President Barack Obama is the only choice for the middle class. The American Federation of Teachers, National Education Association and AFL-CIO have endorsed him and will work hard to get him re-elected. Unions have had a great reason why workers get pensions, overtime pay, health care, 40-hour work weeks and so on. Many of us forget that our grandparents who worked in factories and were exploited. Union members serve in the military, pay their taxes, vote, and are good citizens who should not be "scapegoats" for those leaders who hate when workers organize. If you believe in America, you would know the fight that unions have had against the Henry Fords of the world.

Also note, at the GOP convention, Ron Paul's people were treated like Rosa Parks at the rear of the crowd, and certain groups of delegates from islands who can't vote in the presidential election were given front-row seats, because otherwise the audience did not reflect the diversity of America.

Marty Weisberg, Coral Springs

Political soul searching before Election Day

With all of the lies and political discourse out there (on both sides), I wonder how many of us ignore the rhetoric and really take a sincere look at our choices as well as ourselves.

Although I did not vote for President Barack Obama in 2008, I felt the obligation to honestly assess his administration and possibly re-evaluate my vote for this year.

For those who did vote for President Obama, I hope that they, too, consider whether they are better off today than when they voted for him four years ago.

Without being blinded by pride, prejudice, hate or lack of knowledge, I can truthfully say that I am not better off than I was four years ago. I have not experienced the "hope" that was promised, and the "change" we got was not to my liking.

Specifically, I am unhappy today, paying twice as much ($3.79) per gallon of gas as on the day that Obama was sworn in ($1.84 per gallon).

Even though Obama promised to lower the unemployment rate to below 8 percent, under his watch the rate had actually increased to almost 10 percent (October 2009) and has remained above 8 percent for 41 consecutive months. There are almost 800,000 more women unemployed today than on the day he took office.

Obama promised to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term; but as president, he has added more than $5 trillion to the national debt.

In 2008, he promised that his health care plan would bring down premiums "by $2,500 for the typical family." Instead, health care premiums rose by 9 percent last year.

President Obama is racking up a series of "moments," key among them is his "You didn't build that" comment and his out-of-touch claim that the private sector is "doing just fine."

Our next president will not only have to continue to clean up after G.W. Bush and his Democratic Congress, he will now need to undo the mess that Obama and his Democratic Congress have dumped on us.

President Obama has not, in my opinion, lived up to the high expectations that his supporters had hoped for and has not earned another four-year term. For that matter, the Democratic Congress is seemingly part of the problem, too.

In hindsight, most people would agree that Jimmy Carter's presidency was less than successful, to put it charitably. I believe that Obama will be seen as even worse than Carter.

I don't like to see any president fail. A failed presidency emboldens our enemies, and no one, regardless of his political beliefs, should want that to happen.

As for the campaign, because he cannot run on his record, Obama's only option is to demonize Gov. Mitt Romney – not exactly the "new tone" the president promised four years ago.

It's been three and a half years since President Obama said that his presidency would be a "one-term proposition" if the economy did not recover in three years. I second that. All those in favor should vote accordingly.